Sexually Dimorphic Variation among the Greater Sciatic Notch
Kiefer, Lindsay
Kiefer, Lindsay
Abstract
Description
The importance of determining sex from skeletonized human remains has become increasingly important with the advancement of the forensic sciences. Current methods used to determine sex from sexually dimorphic traits relies on the subjective analysis of five key traits on the innominates. In order to create standards for objective analyses, these traits need to be closely examined and measured for statistical analysis. The size of the Greater Sciatic Notch has traditionally been associated with sex of the individual (larger in females and smaller in males); although, this study will challenge this notion. My Senior Honors Thesis in conjunction with my Wyoming EPSCoR Fellowship Research is the statistical analysis of 65 individual's sexually dimorphic traits, especially the Greater Sciatic Notch. By using standards developed by leading osteologists, each sexually dimorphic trait is ranked on a scale: female to male. Pictures are then taken and uploaded into Analyzing Digital Images software to calculate the area of the Greater Sciatic Notch. This information is uploaded into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for statistical analysis. I expect this study will demonstrate the variability of the Greater Sciatic Notch, especially in males, not as an indicator of sex, but as dependent on the individual's development and growth.
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University of Wyoming Libraries